Palladium Books® Weekly Update – March 1, 2012

By Kevin Siembieda

The response to the Rifts® Lemuria Megaverse® Insider was everything we could hope for it to be, with support topping out at around $30,841.00.

You have no idea how much this has re-energized everyone at Palladium, from staff to freelancers. There is excitement in the air and I am feeling highly motivated. I think all of us are. I’m in high gear and keeping everything moving forward.

All of the following has happened since the last Weekly Update . . .

UPDATE: Alex. Alex is doing well after the unexpected death of his brother-in-law. His sister and four nieces (ages 16-26) are dealing with the loss as best they can, and the tragedy has seemed to bring members of the family closer. At work, Alex has been surprisingly focused and productive. Like I said, the success of the Rifts® Lemuria Megaverse® Insider has all of us motivated and in high gear. Alex has also been loving the Rifts® Lemuria pages I’ve been turning over to him for editing.

UPDATE: Me. I am laser focused on completing books and getting them to the printer and into your hands, one after the other. When I do take a brief break from writing, I continue to work on keeping a dozen other projects, large and small, moving forward.

UPDATE: Behind the Scenes at Palladium. Things are rocking at the offices of Palladium Books. We accomplished all of the following just this week:

● I’ve been pounding out pages for Rifts® Lemuria.

● I received and approved five additional pieces of art for Rifts® Lemuria from Chuck Walton and await two others from Nick Bradshaw.

● I assigned artists to illustrate the cover art for . . .

Rifts® Black Market™

Rifts® Northern Gun™ One

Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two

Robotech® Genesis Pits™

● Chuck Walton and I had two meetings this week to discuss the art and design approach for the two Rifts® Northern Gun™ books.

● I’ve been lining up artists for upcoming releases, including the four listed above plus others. I’ll be assigning interior art for several titles next week.

● Wayne and I ordered materials for producing, bagging and selling new Rifts® minis. I think we’ll be offering the first batch of reissued minis next week.

● For Megaversal Ambassadors. Wayne and I designed, and sent to the printer, color ID cards for our Megaversal Ambassadors. MAs, make sure we – Palladium Books – have your contact information so we can send you some. We are also kicking around an MA T-shirt, but no promises. MAs, do we have your T-shirt size?

● I met with Carmen Bellaire on Monday and Wednesday to discuss the re-release of out of print Rifts® miniatures like the Glitter Boy, Cyborgs and Coalition Soldiers, as well as a dozen new, NEVER BEFORE RELEASED Rifts® miniatures. We’ll probably be releasing these as single figures at around $6-$7 each.

● Rifts® (and Robotech®?) Miniatures.Carmen Bellaire and I also continue to discuss the feasibility of releasing a Rifts® and/or Robotech® miniatures game even if it’s on a limited basis to start. Let us know whether you might be interested in such products.

● In addition to Carmen’s efforts, Palladium has been approached by two different people about making a Robotech® miniatures game. We are currently entertaining the possibilities.

● More Robotech®. Harmony Gold surprised us out of the blue with the legendary Imai Files – pre-production concept art from Mospeada and Southern Cross – for our consideration in upcoming Robotech projects. All I can say is: Mind blowing and inspirational beyond anything we could have imagined. Wow. It’s making us seriously reconsider what should be in the UEEF Marines book.

● I meet with Mark Dudley on Friday to discuss art for upcoming books and comic book projects. Trying to line up a color artist at a reasonable price at this very moment.

UPDATE: Online sales. This is the fourth week in a row of outstanding sales. Please keep standing behind us, order those back stock titles you’ve been meaning to get, the art prints, bookmarks, and T-shirts, and place pre-orders for upcoming releases. Oh yeah, and think about coming to the 2012 Palladium Open House. The money raised by the Megaverse® Insider is fantastic, but man, oh man, it is going fast. I mean, a little more than half goes to production of Rifts® Lemuria, a portion is getting a handful of out of print titles back in stock, and the rest will help get us caught up with bills. That having been said, things remain positive and exciting.

UPDATE: New! Palladium Bookmarks, Set Two. Wayne and I have designed and sent the next set of Palladium Bookmarks to the printer. They look awesome and feature Chaos Earth™, Phase World®, Nightbane® and Beyond the Supernatural™. See the description elsewhere in this Weekly Update.

UPDATE: BACK IN PRINT – Rifts® Dimension Book 5: Anvil Galaxy™. This ever popular Phase Worlds®/Three Galaxies™ title is sitting in our warehouse and ready to ship. See the description elsewhere in this Weekly Update.

UPDATE: BACK IN PRINT: Rifts® Sourcebook 3: Mindwerks™. Folks have been asking for us to get this title back in print, so here you go. It is at the printer and will be ready to ship on Tuesday. Order yours today. See the description elsewhere in this Weekly Update.

UPDATE: More out of stock titles coming back in print. Additional fan favorite titles will be sent to the printer for short-run printings. They include Wolfen Empire™ (for Palladium Fantasy®), Mutant Underground™ (HU2), Rifts® Mercenaries, Rifts® Splynn Dimensional Market™, and other out of print books. I’m hoping to do one or two a week over the next month or so.

UPDATE: Rifts® Lemuria.1. I’ve been working on the book like mad and have been pounding out pages like crazy. 2. I have finally finished with the section on Biomancy spells – which was a monster, but is pretty damn awesome. 3. I finished the section on Lemurian Bio-Armor and man are you going to love this stuff! 4. These and other sections have been edited by Alex and are currently in Wayne’s hands for a final edit. 5. Chuck’s additional art for Lemuria was turned in this week and it continues to knock our socks off. 6. Final writing and editing is going at a good pace now. Typesetting and layout should start next week sometime.

UPDATE: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™. I’m champing at the bit to dive into this book. It is next on my list. Still looking at a March release.

UPDATE: Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook. Immediately following Endless Dead, I wrap up on this hotly anticipated sourcebook. March release is probably tentative, but the final writing should go quickly. All (or most) of the art is done and 65% of the writing.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: The Black Market. I assigned the cover to a new artist this week. The book is written by Matthew Clements with additional material by Taylor White, so I expect it to be good and a fast edit.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One. I assigned the cover to an artist this week. After careful consideration, that artist is Chuck Walton, and he’s talking about doing a wraparound cover. Is there anyone not anxiously awaiting this book? Chuck and I also discussed cover ideas (we have a couple of sweet ones) and design elements for the interior art. An April or May release.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ Two. I assigned the cover of NG2 to Jazzy John Zeleznik and he’s already submitted a sketch for a wraparound cover for it. A dynamic fight scene in the NG Robot Gladiatorial Arena. Like I said, the creative forces at Palladium Books are on fire and pulling out all the stops.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #58. More exciting fan-created material for the Palladium Megaverse. Send in your submission for our consideration. April release.

UPDATE: Robotech® Genesis Pits™ Sourcebook. I’m still waiting to get the final manuscript from Irvin Jackson. April release.

UPDATE: Robotech® UEEF Marines™ Sourcebook. After seeing the original concept art for Mospeada, we may expand and/or completely retool this book. Talk about inspirational. Summer release.

UPDATE: Rifts®/Minion War™: Megaverse® in Flames™. I hope to start assigning the artwork for this book soon. Can’t wait to work on it.

UPDATE: Sneak Previews on DriveThruRPG.com are coming soon. The one for Rifts® Lemuria should go up by the end of next week and Endless Dead a week or two after that. Don’t forget, there are 90+ backstock titles, including back issues of The Rifter®, first edition rule books, other sneak previews and the Rifts® Game Master Kit, all available as PDF downloads at reasonable prices.

UPDATE: New advertising. Took care of three new ads and kicking around new venues. Would like to squeeze out a new catalog soon.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #0.1 (PDF). No word from the contributors yet, hopeful for the future of this project.

UPDATE: Gaming at the Westland Library. The event was small but fun. Julius ran five people in a Rifts® game, I ran six through a Palladium Fantasy® adventure. Two of my players were 11 years old and one was 14. Once they got into it, they were naturals, especial Sean who played a thief. That was interesting, because he didn’t seem interested at first and was waffling on playing or not. My thanks to Bill Korsak who came down to run BTS, but we didn’t have enough people. Thanks all the same, Bill.

Our next Westland Library event (ages 11-35) will be March 31, 2012. This is a great way to introduce a new generation to Palladium role-playing games. Sign up by calling the library at (734) 326-6123 or online at http://www.westlandlibrary.org/node/3089. The gaming is from 1-4 PM, Saturday, March 31, 2012. The library is located on Central City Parkway between Ford Road and Warren.

Palladium Open House is only 9 weeks away! And coming up fast!! It’s going to be epic. A good number of G.M.s have sent in their games the last couple of weeks, but we need more. If you have any questions and Wayne isn’t getting back to you, contact Alex or call the office. We need games! Sorry about all those exclamation points, but the POH will be here in no time.

If you’re thinking about coming but haven’t decided yet, I recommend you do so. The Palladium Open House (POH) is always a great time and tons of fun. Will this really be our last POH? It looks like it. Lack of available parking is the main culprit. Even at this year’s event we’ll be recommending car pooling from the hotel to Palladium. So this may be your last chance to experience the thrills and fun of a Palladium Open House. Note: VIP tickets are sold out, but you should put your name on the cancellation list by calling the office order line (734-721-2903). If someone cancels, you’ll be contacted and can take their place.

Yep, a lot is going on. Chuck Walton asked me how I manage it all. I smiled and said, “As best as I can.”

The truth is, it’s all a matter of juggling and keeping all the balls in the air. Of course, things sometimes drop or get put on hold. For example, I have yet to mail out the PR copies and contracts for The Rifter® #57, let alone the upcoming issue. I was happy with myself to organize and clear off my desk, but in the process I discovered four Christmas Surprise Packages that had never been processed because they got buried on my desk. (Sorry guys!) I wrote them each a letter of apology and loaded up their Grab Bags to make up for the long delay, but sheesh, so sorry that happened. Entirely my fault. Likewise, I’ve been wanting to write a couple Murmurs from the Megaverse®, post more on Facebook and answer my long languishing Private Messages, but I’ve had my nose buried in finishing Rifts® Lemuria.

That’s it for now. Have a great weekend, keep those imaginations burning bright and game on.

NEW! Palladium Bookmarks, Set Two

A set of four, 2 x 6 inch bookmarks, each depicting a different Palladium game line: Chaos Earth™, Phase World®, Nightbane® and Beyond the Supernatural™. They are attractive, useful and make a fun collectible. The first set has been so popular, we had to do a second.

Cat. No. 2555 – $5.00 retail. Based on what similar bookmarks sell for, we figure the set of four should have an $8.00 value, but Palladium’s price is only $5.00.

Ship Date: As soon as they return from the printer in a week or two.

Available now! Palladium Bookmarks, Set One

“I love the Palladium bookmarks and use three of the first set all the time.” – Kevin Siembieda

A set of four, 2 x 6 inch bookmarks, each depicting a different Palladium game line: Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy®, Heroes Unlimited™ and Dead Reign™. They are attractive, useful and make a fun collectible.

Cat. No. 2554 – $5.00 retail. Based on what similar bookmarks sell for, we figure the set of four should have an $8.00 value, but Palladium’s price is only $5.00.

Ship Date: Available now.

Rifts® Dimension Book™ 5: Anvil Galaxy™

– Available now – Back in print

This popular, fan-favorite Phase World® sourcebook presents a dynamic overview of the Anvil Galaxy™ and its many alien races, technologies, conflicts and secrets. A great resource for any Phase World® fan and valuable addition for campaigns involving the Minion War™.

Rifts® Sourcebook Three: Mindwerks™

– Back in print – Ships Tuesday, March 6

Rifts® Mindwerks™ is a companion to Triax & The NGR™ and Triax™ 2. It details the techno-horrors of the Mindwerks Corporation and its insane mastermind, the Angel of Death, as well as providing more information on the NGR, the Gargoyle and Brodkil Empires, robots and equipment, plus the Gene-Splicers, a dozen D-Bee races, an evil Millennium Tree, mind-altering cybernetic implants and a few notable kingdoms.

14 O.C.C.s and R.C.C.s, including the Lycanmorph and Null Psyborg.

Mindwerks ‘bots, cyborgs, weapons & equipment.

Mindwerks M.O.M. conversions, Crazies and insanity.

Gene-Splicers and their presence on Rifts® Earth.

Germany’s infamous Black Forest and its evil Millenium Tree.

Massive new war machines for the Gargoyles and the NGR.

The Kingdom of Tarnow, its namesake magical crystal and anti-Gargoyle weapons and equipment.

NEW! Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™

Ships March

Endless Dead says it all. The zombie hordes grow in number and strangeness. Can humankind survive? Where is the military? What’s next for the survivors of the zombie apocalypse?

This book contains horrifying new zombies to haunt your player characters along with new O.C.C.s and tons of tables for detailing Survivors’ Hideouts, Safe Haven Communities, Death Cults and more. Survival is not enough. Now is the time for the war against the Endless Dead™. This book is epic.

New types of zombies include the Fused Zombie, Multi-Zombie, Parasite Juggernaut and Walking Mass Grave.

New O.C.C.s include the Wheelman, Zombie Hunter, Zombie Researcher, Survivalist and Watcher.

Information on vehicles and tables for adding custom armor, weapons and anti-zombie defenses.

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™

Unknown to most humans, deep within Mexico the vampires have established entire kingdoms. There they live like tyrants and gods, dominating an underclass of cattle people used as slaves and food stock. Learn more about the vampires, their rivals, allies and the humans who willingly serve their supernatural masters for a chance to join the undead. A must-have guide for those who wish to travel deeper into the Vampire Kingdoms or play as vampires and their human minions.

More human kingdoms within Mexico like the Tampico Military Protectorate and Durango, the Silver City.

Firefighting robots, hover firetrucks and more anti-vampire gear.

Magic based Vampire Hunters and human strongholds.

Techno-Wizard anti-vampire weapons and magical devices.

Profiles for Doc Reid and Reid’s Rangers, the world’s most famous Vampire Hunters.

Fort Reid, an entire city devoted to hunting the undead.

The Bloodwatch, a secret vampire intelligence agency that tracks down and exterminates Vampire Hunters.

The Yucatan Peninsula, a mysterious dimensional pocket overrun by strange demons known as Xibalbans.

The return of the Mayan god Camazotz, Lord of Bats and Darkness.

The werebeasts of Mexico and Central America; those who assist the vampires and those who fight against them.

Rifts® Black Market™ – A Rifts® Sourcebook

On Rifts® Earth, the Black Market is the most prevalent trader in weapons, contraband and magic items outlawed by the Coalition. Explore the day to day business of the market along with its smuggling routes, practices, policies and nefarious products. Encounter the five major Black Market factions in North America and foreign groups like the Yakuza, Green Scarf Sect and the Underground Railroads of Atlantis and the Vampire Kingdoms.

Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One

The largest independent manufacturer of weapons, robots and adventure gear in North America is Northern Gun™. Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, they have been the premier outfitter of mercenaries and adventurers for decades, and are a major hub for hiring military contractors. With a whole new product line to offer their customers, the future looks bright for Northern Gun™.

The arms giant Northern Gun profiled for the first time!

The Kingdom of Ishpeming, a puppet-state propped up by NG.

Full 109 P.A. catalog of Northern Gun products!

New weapons, power armor, vehicles, robots and adventure gear.

The Ishpeming military, essentially a framework for hiring mercenaries and privateers.

The NG Bounty Board, the largest collection of bounties and mercenary contracts anywhere on Rifts® Earth.

Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™

The Minion War spills across Rifts Earth, where demons and infernals hope to recruit allies and use the Rifts as gateways of destruction. Their influence shakes things up across the planet, especially at locations where demons and Deevils already have a strong presence. More details to follow, but for now, ‘nuff said.

Soulmancer and Blood Magic.

The Seven Deadly Plagues.

The Demon Plagues across the globe.

Battleground: Earth – as demons and infernals amass their legions.

Rifts Calgary – also known as Hell’s Pit; the kingdom described.

Ciudad de Diablo, Harpies’ Island and other notable Hell holes on Earth.

Lord Doom, Pain and other demonic leaders.

Horune treachery, Dimension Stormers and other villains.

Global chaos and the places most dramatically affected by the Demon Plagues.

PDF downloads from DriveThruRPG.com

This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve made 90 titles available as PDF digital downloads from DriveThruRPG.com. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include: